An international team of five mountaineers set a new record for crossing the main ridge of the Alps, journeying the thousand-plus miles in 36 days, from the foothills of eastern Austria to the Mediterranean coast at Nice, France. Called Der Lange Weg, German for "The Long Way," sponsor Red Bull describes the trek as the longest ski tour in the world. Over the course of the trip they accumulated over 55 miles of climbing. Moving forward an average of more than 10 hours per day, they pressed on for 16 hours on the longest day. The team set off with seven athletes, although two dropped out. Weather ranged from pleasant to terrible. At one point, they were stuck in a blizzard at 12,000 feet (4,000 metres). Demonstrating the rapid climatic shift from the French Alps to the Riviera the team wore their skis for a photo opportunity on the beach. (NOTE: An earlier version of this video put the original 1971 record at 44 days. The 1971 team actually finished in 41 days.)

Watch these two high-wire performers more than 500 feet up, high up in the frozen Alps.